Millions of dollars are lost annually by manufacturers due to the theft or misdirection of shipments of consumer goods. An even greater problem for manufacturers in many industries is the growing prevalence of counterfeit reproductions of their products. Counterfeit products can be problematic for a manufacturer in terms of lost revenue. Low quality counterfeit products can also unfairly taint the reputation of a manufacturer in the public's eyes, particularly if the public is unaware that a counterfeiting problem exists.
Tampering of articles by an outside entity attempting to reverse-engineer or alter the articles represents a significant concern for manufacturers. As used herein, the terms “tamper,” “tampering,” and other grammatical equivalents thereof will refer to any unauthorized use, access, investigation or alteration of an article, whether malicious or not. A number of anti-tampering protocols are often put into place by manufacturers to restrict an outside entity's ability to determine the true operational principles of an article. Particularly in the electronics industry, tampering represents an ongoing challenge for manufacturers. Some anti-tampering protocols focus on masking the true operational principles of an article, thereby making it difficult for an outside entity to reverse-engineer the article and produce a counterfeit copy.
Tampering can also involve removing, altering or replicating an identifying mark that serves to verify the authenticity of an article. The terms “mark,” “tag” and grammatical equivalents thereof may be used synonymously herein. Removing, altering or replicating an identifying mark can be problematic from standpoints of both theft and counterfeiting. A number of identifying marks have been routinely used for tagging various articles, including bar codes, RFIDs, and the like. However, these types of identifying marks are often readily visible to an outside entity. With enough diligence, they can frequently be copied by an outside entity for marking counterfeit articles in much the same way as an authentic article. Likewise, removal, alteration, or replacement of a visible identifying mark from an authentic article can make the article untrackable and subject to theft.
In view of the foregoing, there remains a need to develop identifying marks providing an enhanced level of security. The present disclosure satisfies the foregoing need and provides related advantages as well.